Delhi University, whose students are often criticised for not coming up with enough innovation and research projects, is looking at filing four patents for innovative products that have been developed by undergraduate students and teachers of the university.
The projects are from varied
fields including forensic science, nutrition and innovation for the underprivileged.

Delhi University had launched a scheme in January this year whereby it would give a group of 10 students and three teachers to work on an innovation project and would provide a funding of Rs. 10 lakh each for the projects.

The university has now chosen four innovative projects for which it will file patents on behalf of the four teams.

Powder for lifting finger printsThe students and teachers at SGTB Khalsa College have developed a forensic powder to lift fingerprints from objects that have been under water or buried in the soil. A team of 10 students worked with their teachers and former director of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory VN Sehgal to develop this powder. "I have seen many cases where evidence has been destroyed because the weapon was buried or drowned. This technique has shown a lot of promise in lifting fingerprints from such objects," Sehgal said.

Nutrition barA nutrition bar that meets a third of a child's daily nutritional requirement and costs just R10 per 100 grams is what the team from Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences has developed. The bar uses unprocessed ingredients and has no preservatives or artificial colour. "We have used things like jaggery, millet, puffed rice and oats to make the bar. We have also conducted a number of taste tests to make sure children will like it," said Shivani G Varmani, a teacher who is a part of the project. The shelf life of the bar, according to the group, is six months.

Water purifier that uses solar powerAt Zakir Husain Delhi College, the focus of the project is on providing potable water to villages using solar power. The team has developed a water purifier for a community as well as a smaller one for a household that will be powered by solar energy which is abundant in India. The team plans to set up the first purifier at the community level in a village close to Ajmer.

Cycle rickshaw cum shelter The much talked about cycle rickshaw that can be turned into a shelter that has a mosquito net, a six foot bed, a solar light panel and a port to charge a mobile phone, developed by the innovators at St Stephen's College, is also part of the DU innovation project. The rickshaw was developed by students of the History and Physics department after they learnt that most of Delhi's homeless are rickshaw pullers.